The field of the invention is firearms and the invention relates more particularly to muzzle-loading guns and to the patches used in conjunction therewith.
In the use of muzzle-loading guns, it has been common practice for many years to place a patch over the muzzle of the gun and then to place the ball on top of the patch and then to ram the ball down the rifle and against the grains of powder which have already been placed therein. Patches have invariably been made from a circular swatch of cloth and they function not only to hold the ball in the barrel, but also are often lubricated which, thus, lubricates the barrel as the shot is rammed down the barrel. The patches are substantially larger in diameter than the diameter of the ball and thus as they are folded upwardly around the ball, they tend to bunch in an uneven manner around the ball. As the gun is fired, the patch can cause an uneven force around the exterior of the ball which can constitute a source of inaccuracy for the shot.